


Undying Flames

by H0riz0n



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Abuse, F/M, Harassment, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-29 01:28:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30148662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H0riz0n/pseuds/H0riz0n
Summary: Yusei is the crown prince of the kingdom of New Domino. Lise is a girl cursed to be a phoenix by day and a human by night. The unlikely duo come together to not only break the curse, but to uncover the secrets of the kingdom...
Relationships: Yusei x OC
Comments: 2





	1. Cursed

Royals could really throw a party. The entire kingdom of New Domino was probably here. My friends, along with my family members, scurried back and forth from the ballroom to the kitchens. One of the dukes was throwing a party to reign in the New Year, as usual. They traded off on hosting the event.

Dad had jumped at the opportunity to cater dessert for such a prominent official. A more well-known employer? Bigger bucks. He’d also given me a wink after the deal was officiated, more money for a certain someone’s birthday, eh? Of course, I had to help out too. How could I say no?

“Man, these royals can eat,” Crow sighed. He left an empty platter to be filled with more pastries. While he waited, he stretched and cracked his neck and spine.

Jack did the same, and swiped the next tray refilled with food just as I approached. “Don’t get me started, mate. Just think of the extra cash.”

“Yeah, cuz that’ll make my feet hurt less.”

“Just another couple hours and we’re done,” I reminded them.

“Well, we’ll be done for the night,” Crow corrected. He was right. As the bird-master, and Jack as a page in training, they didn’t have cleanup duty.

I did. “Another all nighter is fine. Dad will let me sleep in tomorrow,” I said casually. I didn’t want them feeling bad. “No need to keep me company.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, rest your aching feet.”

“Thank you,” Jack sighed. Knowing he’d be free sooner rather than later seemed to have put an extra spring in his step.

“Thanks, Lise,” Crow smiled softly at me. “I’ve gotta get back to the Aviary. We’ve been losing so many birds lately.” Crow didn’t say so, but I knew he was worried. As the bird master, he knew it was strange to have so many birds suddenly go missing.

Jack lowered his voice. “You think the missing birds might have something to do with the missing girls?”

“Hey, you three, less talking, more serving,” Dad snapped at us. He sounded strict, but there was a twinkle in his light blue eyes. He manned the oven with a strong, confident hand, and had his long hair tied back and away from the flames.

“You got it, Dad.”

The rest of the night dragged on mostly uneventfully. Course there were the occasional instances of a drunken royal, wizard, or witch. The King and Queen, looking gorgeous as always, were politely detached in their greetings and conversation. Queen Haruna always seemed to have a kindness to her, like the sweet twinkle in her eyes that my dad had too. King Ryu… he seemed more withdrawn, and had been for as long as I could remember seeing him. He was always whispering or chatting with his wizard in low tones. Their only child, the crown prince, seemed to be barely concealing his boredom. At least from what I could tell zipping in between tables. He resembled his father closely with their jet-black hair and dark eyes. I avoided them mostly because of the wizard, or warlock, I could never tell the difference, always gave me creepy vibes. And the King was never without him.

I was headed back to the kitchens near the end of the party when I was stopped by a guest.

“Pardon me, sir,” I apologized, and then realized who I had nearly collided with. The King’s wizard.

Up close I could see the rich, deep purple robes he wore. The lining was done in silver thread that glittered when he moved. His long gray hair was pulled back into a half ponytail.

“No need for pleasantries, child,” he smiled, revealing sharp teeth.

Something didn’t sit right with me. My stomach rolled uncomfortably, and it felt like a rock had suddenly clogged my throat. His smile didn’t reach his steel gray eyes. I nodded to him respectfully, trying to skirt around him. “Then I’d like to be on my way, please.”

His large hand clapped down onto my shoulder. “So soon? I wanted to express my gratitude for such wonderful service.”

My palms broke out in sweat. His hand was huge, bigger than my head, and he was taller than me by about a foot. I stepped back, away from his reach. “The gratitude belongs to my father and the other caterers. Good night, sir.”

I turned around and practically sprinted into the kitchens. At the moment I didn’t care if he knew I’d been rattled by his advancements.

“You’ll regret that, young lady…” His voice echoed down the hallway like a tolling bell.

I slammed the door to the kitchen behind me.

Dad looked up from spreading around the coals in the oven to cool down for the night. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” I took a deep, calming breath. He couldn’t hurt me anymore, after all. “That wizard in the purple robes was just being creepy.”

“Oh, you mean Goodwin?” Dad’s brows furrowed together. “He’s the oldest wizard in the King’s inner circle. Shuts himself away most of the time. Makes me think he’s lost a little more than basic social skills.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Dad nodded. “We’ll keep away from him by cleaning up and getting our gear together, yeah?” His smile was back.

I put the thoughts of him out of my head. Hard work scrubbing all the trays we brought and the oven made it easy. Jack and Crow went home, and then my dad had to step out too.

“You sure you can handle the last of the trays? I’m so sorry I’ve gotta run, sweetie,” Dad said, rushing through strapping most of the trays to the rig on his back for transport back home.

“It’s okay, dad. It’s really no trouble. You’ve gotta be home to help mom with Akira and Sora.”

Dad smiled at me. “See you later then, g’night, and be safe coming home!”

“I will!” I waved him off and finished off cleaning the last tray.

The moon was high and full in the night sky when I was finally on my way. Moonlight fell over the cobbled stones of the town like a blanket coating the rocks in a dreamy glimmer. The stars twinkled gently in the creeping dawn. A dark, inky night became the midnight blue of slowly creeping dawn. The sun wasn’t up yet, but it would be soon.

Maybe the light clanking of Dad’s trays strapped to my back was too loud. Maybe I was just tired. For whatever reason, I didn’t hear the wizard behind me.

“I have a proposal for you, my dear.”

I jumped out of my skin. The trays clanged loudly as they hit the ground. Anyone nearby would be able to hear such a ruckus. I raised my fists, knowing it wouldn’t do much good anyway, but it still made me feel better. Whatever this wizard, Goodwin dad had called him, wanted, it would have to be quick. People would come to see what the clatter was.

“What do you want?”

“As I said, a proposal,” Goodwin’s smile looked more like a wolf baring its fangs. He reached into his cloak and pulled out what looked like a giant ruby. “I’d like to extend the honor of allowing you to become my fourth bride.”

He couldn’t be serious. I waited. Neither of us moved. Wind blew across the cobblestones. He was serious.

“Well, you accept, don’t you?” Goodwin’s eye started twitching.

“No,” I stepped back. “I don’t accept.”

His tone turned biting. “Why not?”

“I’m not even sixteen yet!” I blurted. “Plus, you’re like fifty years older than me!”

I knew I was just digging my grave deeper. I didn’t care. This creep was not going to have me, a child, just because he wanted me. I had enough sense to know that much. I also knew it was illegal to perform magical experiments on New Domino citizens. If I could just manage to run away… Dad would be annoyed at the loss of the trays, but he’d be happier that I was able to get away.

“I urge you to reconsider,” Goodwin was close enough I could see his white knuckled grip on the ruby. It was actually a ring, not just a gemstone.

“No. Please leave me alone.”

His face turned dark. More wind kicked up, rustling his hair and robes. “That was a _grave_ mistake, little girl. You _will_ be my wife either now or later!” The ruby shattered in his grip, making his hands glow a sickly yellow.

I took that as my cue to run. If I could just get home, I’d be safe!

Something hit me in the back. It wasn’t a bullet; I hadn’t heard a gunshot. It still hurt like hell, and I cried out from the pain. I pitched forward, managing to turn my fall into a roll, and kept going.

Everything was wrong. Too big. Too slow. Spinning from dark night to bright day, I fell to my knees. My body stretching and warping as I watched my hands changing…

“What…what did you do to me?” I asked when the world stopped spinning so badly.

Goodwin strutted over, laughing. He ripped a feather out of my side. I hissed at him at the twinge of pain. WAIT, _my_ feather?

“I’ve placed you under a spell, my dear,” Goodwin pulled my beak up to look him in the eyes. “If you don’t agree to marry me by your 21st birthday, the spell will be permanent. Until then, you’ll be a phoenix by day, and a human by night.”

“No!”

“Yes!” He let me go, laughing even harder. He was enjoying this impossible situation he had put me in. “I told you, and now your refusal means you’ll be hunted. A phoenix is, after all, a rare prize.”

“You can’t! You can’t do this!” I scrambled to right myself over my new talons. The day was breaking. People’s night lamps were being shut off. They were beginning to start the day! I had to go, get out somehow. I flexed my new wings.

“I can, and I have! Now shall we retreat to my quarters at the castle?!”

My wings were powerful and large, propelling me easily through the sky. I couldn’t go home like this. Couldn’t stay in the town, I’d be hunted like Goodwin said.

A primal scream of rage erupted behind me. I peeked behind me to see Goodwin’s face mottled red. He shot colorful spells at me. I dodged as best I could, but I was still shaky and terrified in my new bird form.

I decided my best bet was the forest. A yellow blast skimmed my wing, singing some feathers. I winced and dove for the trees.

The leaves and branches were completely unwelcoming. They scratched and clawed at my face and body as I crashed through the canopy. It finally stopped when I landed cradled in a few strong vines.

Another rage-filled scream ripped through the kingdom. Nobody went into the forest. Too much magic and unknown creatures.

I waited for what felt like decades. Goodwin didn’t follow me. Then everything went dark for me, while the rest of the kingdom woke up…


	2. A Job

_Thunk!_

Another arrow found its mark. A perfect bullseye! I couldn’t resist a grin. Even after years of practice I could never get over how good a bullseye felt.

“Yusei? Yusei! Are you even listening?!”

I plastered a fake smile on. “Yes, mother.”

“Then please, act like it. Your father is getting impatient. You just turned twenty and he’s rather displeased you still haven’t chosen a partner.”

I lowered my bow, arms spread wide to plead my case. “Mom, that’s not something you can force! And I went on _all_ the dates you and dad set up. It’s not my fault I didn’t like anyone.”

Mom folded her fan. She’d been using it to ward off the late July heat. She hit my shoulder with it softly. “You know you didn’t make an effort to get to know them. Don’t let your father hear you say that, either.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Not to mention the King of Heartland Kingdom already suspects you don’t like Princess Kotori!”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s because I _don’t_ like her…” I muttered.

Mom hit my shoulder again. A little harder this time. “That’s what we’re talking about!” She hissed, and with a sigh resumed fanning herself.

My mother, Queen Haruna, was kind of right. She meant well, better than my father did. Despite all her lace and jewels, mom was just as much responsible for the kingdom as my dad. He knew, just as well as everyone else, that if it weren’t for her, New Domino Kingdom would have been doomed before I was born. She handled the financial affairs and business sides of things, and always made time to help out staff. My dad, King Ryu, had been a great scientist a long time ago, but these days he was spending more time schmoosing up different kings and queens in the neighboring kingdoms. It was a shame really. New Domino used to be well known for its team of legendary inventors.

And then there was me.

“I don’t…I love you very much, Yusei,” Mom tried again, gentler this time. Her hand on my elbow was gentle too. “But you’re the crown prince, and time is running out. I’m not certain how long your father can be stalled. He’s hell bent on a partner for you, whether you like them or not.”

“He can’t.” My grip tightened on my bow. My knuckles cracked.

“He’s the king,” mom offered me a small, thin smile. “He can and he will. He’s said so, best not to test him and find someone you can at least live with. Otherwise, he’ll choose someone he feels can more suitably run the kingdom.”

“Yes, mother.” That was me. Always the obedient son.

I knew it was just plain old stubborn to continue to hold out for so long. As a prince I’d been given every advantage life had to offer. Mom often told me how lucky and happy my birth had been. She’d had so many childbirth complications to the point she couldn’t have any more children. I was it.

“Think about it,” mom said. The door to the archery range closed behind her.

I took a breath of fresh air. Alone again in the range. The only place I felt safe and strong and completely myself in the castle.

Another arrow knocked. Breathe in. Breathe out. Release.

_Thunk!_

Bullseye.

“Goodwin was right. You are the best archer in New Domino.”

I jumped, swinging the bow in front of me in case I needed to defend myself. Whoever had come in had done so silently. He was dressed in yellow wizard robes with the hood up.

The wizard put his hands up. Surrender. He removed his hood. “Didn’t mean to startle you, Your Highness. I was visiting my fellow wizard Goodwin, and decided I’d introduce myself. I hope I’m not being presumptuous.” He held out his hand to shake. I couldn’t place it, but even though I’d never met this wizard before, he seemed familiar. His hands were frail, wispy, wrinkled and thin, just like the hair sweeping out from his head. “Wizard Yanagi.”

“Crown Prince Yusei, but you knew that.”

“We shook.

“So, I was wondering how well you could shoot moving targets,” Yanagi tapped his fingertips together. He smiled at the dozens of arrows I’d plunged into the red bullseye. “Not that I doubt your skill, Your Highness! I have a little problem I’m hoping you can assist me with. A job offer, if you will.”

I laughed a little and reached for another arrow. “What help could I be to a wizard?”

“I was hoping you could hunt specific bird for me?”

I twirled the new arrow between my fingers. “Still not seeing why you need me? No offense intended, sir, but I have no need for money.”

Yanagi smirked. An odd expression on the old man’s face. I ignored it in favor of the paper he was pulling out of his cloak. “Oh, this job isn’t about money, but about glory.” He handed me the paper.

An artist had clearly done the drawing for the flyers’ distribution. A large bird with red, orange and golden feathers flew across the page. Wings bright and eyes…almost intelligent.

“It is true. There’s a phoenix in the woods.”

“Yes, I’m inclined to believe it as well. I’d like to use the phoenix’s ashes before it reforms for a healing elixir. Wizards can’t slay magic creatures with our spells, and you seem…” His eyes trailed over my bow and arrow. “Uniquely qualified to help me.”

A phoenix. An _actual_ phoenix. Dad couldn’t deny the skill and power archery required if I could hunt a phoenix successfully.

“I’ll do it.”

“Splendid!”

///

Yanagi didn’t want to accompany me. Said he trusted me. I could hunt easier alone.

I entered the woods with supplies to last a couple days. Just in case. I kept to the areas the bird had been spotted, which were luckily, the outskirts of town. The edge of the woods and deeper into a few different clearings. If the bird caught wind of me, it might have the sense to fly deeper into the thicket. To magical places I couldn’t hope to traverse alone. Perhaps that was how the magical bird had survived so long without being killed all this time.

Then on the third day, I spotted it.

I wasn’t ready for the in-person effect.

I’d stumbled across a lake in the deeper parts of the forest. Most people and animals avoided it because of the cliffs and waterfalls below. But that was where the phoenix had chosen to float.

It was beautiful. More vibrantly red and orange and gold than any artist could capture.

I readied my bow and arrow. The bird must have sensed the danger it was in because it sprang back from the arrow, wings sweeping out in full.

“Damnit,” I swore.

The chase was on.

I jumped over fallen logs and raced across mossy roots without breaking stride. I was _so_ close! I could hit a moving target, but it was tricky. You had to be able to predict the target’s next moves. But I couldn’t predict what I didn’t know, so we were both winging it. Me and that phoenix locked in a battle of persistence.

The sun dipped below the horizon. The phoenix suddenly glowed a bright, golden light. I let an arrow loose at precisely the wrong moment, slightly blinded by the sudden glow. It scraped the bird’s leg, disrupting its flight path. I had it now.

The phoenix banked desperately behind a giant tree. Then nothing. The glow faded as quickly as it had burst out. I already had an arrow knocked to shoot it dead when it emerged from the other side, but the great bird never came.

Weird. Was it hiding or did it crash?

The moon was bright enough that night I could see everything in perfect detail. I advanced slowly. Still no sign of the bird.

Something did catch my eye, but it wasn’t the phoenix. The heel of someone’s shoe, poised and at the ready. Maybe this person had seen where the bird went? Maybe they were lost? Maybe worse.

I crept closer; bow drawn. I was close enough to see the person was a young woman.

 _Crack!_ I’d stepped on a twig.

The woman whirled on me like an unleashing storm. The two red and orange knives she wielded sliced through the drawstring of my bow in a millisecond. She continued spinning with her blades like they were extensions of her arms until she had one aimed squarely at my Adam’s apple and my…genitals.

“What the fuck do you want?!” she snarled. “Who are you?!”

I was so taken aback I couldn’t speak. My bow. My arrows. Both useless in a matter of seconds.

She had light blue eyes the color of the sky. Blonde hair framed her face, cut short to just below her chin. She wore a simple shirt and pants, even boots, like any regular boy back in the town. She had fingerless gloves on, probably to help her grip her knives for long periods of time. Knives that matched her light weight coat… Who the hell was this woman?

She pressed one of the knives closer to my throat. “Who are you? Are you trying to collect the bounty for the phoenix?”

“N-No!” I put my hands up, dropping my bow. “I’m sorry for scaring you! I’m the Crown Prince Yusei Fudo!” I winced a little at my own name. My life was in her hands. Telling her my real name was a gamble.

I waited. My best bet was probably to stay quiet. Her eyes narrowed. Probably mulling over whether to believe me, kill me, castrate me, or all three. Sweat beaded on her forehead while she thought it over.

Finally, she sighed and sheathed her knives. “Welcome to the forest, Your Highness.”

“You know me?” I lowered my hands, relieved to not have my throat and genitals threatened by knives anymore.

“I know _of_ you,” she corrected, rolling her eyes. She bent down to retrieve my bow, coming up slower with a grimace of pain on her face. Was she injured? She tossed me my bow. “You should go home, Your Highness.”

I caught it easily enough. “Is that where you’re going? You never told me your name.”

She’d spared my life but I had the feeling she didn’t like me. “What use could you possibly have for my name?”

A petty part of me wanted to know who to send a bill to for damage of my bow. A different part of me was just plain curious. I hadn’t expected to meet someone in the woods… Someone like her. “Indulge me,” I said quietly.

She let out a long breath through her teeth. She crossed her arms. “If I tell you my name, then will you leave?” She was being difficult.

So could I. I smiled. “Maybe.”

She didn’t smile. “I go by Lise.” She waved to indicate I should leave. “Bye.”

“Nice to meet you,” I nodded at her politely.

Lise rolled her eyes again. She must have decided to leave herself, since I had no intention of leaving just yet. But something was wrong. Her right leg buckled when she put more weight on it.

I reached out without thinking. I supported her shoulder. “Whoa, are you okay?”

She shoved my hand away. “Don’t touch me!” She stumbled and lowered herself slowly into a sitting position. She was shaking, forehead sweaty again. “Just go. I’m fine.” Lise’s gaze wandered off into the forest. Maybe her home was nearby?

Even if that was the case, I couldn’t just leave her there. I knelt beside her, making sure I wasn’t touching her. I was right; she was injured. A nasty cut on her right leg was bleeding. The adrenaline from our encounter must have prevented her from realizing the extent of the wound. But…how did she get sliced up this badly?

“That’s pretty deep, but it’s hard to tell the extent in the moonlight.”

“I can manage, just go home already!”

“I’ve got bandages in my pack. I’ll be right back.”

“Are you deaf?!” Lise yelled after me, but I had already made up my mind.

I dropped off my now useless bow at my camp. Never had I been so glad my mother had insisted I always bring first aid equipment on all my hunting trips. Getting injured out in the woods could be a death sentence otherwise.

Lise had moved when I returned. She’d clearly tried to scoot her way back, but couldn’t make it far with her leg sliced open. She was certainly stubborn.

I knelt beside her again. To properly take care of this… “I need to be able to touch you. May I?”

She was clearly still not comfortable with this. I wasn’t about to just leave her bleeding there. I wasn’t sure what else to do. There was no one else around.

“Fine, just get it over with.”

I’d done this before. It was a fairly quick patch job. Cut fabric around the wound. Clean and disinfect wound and ensure the bleeding had stopped. Wrap in bandages. Done. It was a tense procedure though. I noticed how tense Lise got every time my fingers brushed her, like she held her breath every time.

“There,” I fastened the bandages. I pretended not to notice Lise testing out her leg while I put away all my supplies.

“Thank you,” Lise said quietly.

Our eyes met. There was a softness there she hadn’t shown earlier. Granted, she’d had a knife at my essentials earlier. My face felt warm. I opened my mouth to respond.

“Yes, thank you, Your Highness!” Yanagi stepped out of the shadows. “I’ll still take an injured bird, even if she’s not dead.”

Lise’s demeanor instantly changed. Her teeth clenched, hands curled into a fist and around the handle of one of her knifes. She knew Yanagi?

His words started to register. “Bird?” I whispered. I looked between the two of them, processing. The colors of Lise’s coat…the phoenix. _No way…_

“Wait, you’re working for him?!” Lise pointed at Yanagi. Her newfound rage was directed at me now too.

“No! I mean, yes, but technically it wasn’t-“

“Oh no,” Yanagi snickered, walking further into the moonlight. “Don’t be modest, Your Highness. Your skills brought down the legendary Phoenix Girl!”

 _Girl._ Somehow Yanagi had known, and he’d played me. “You…you _knew_.”

“I’ll be off with my part of the bargain, if you don’t mind,” Yanagi reached for Lise. She’d unsheathed her knife fully.

“NO!” I scrambled in between them, spreading my arms out. Yanagi had stopped with his fingers outstretched inches from my face. I couldn’t feel Lise’s knife blade so luckily she hadn’t tried to strike and stabbed me instead.

“What’re you doing?!” Lise’s hand fell on my back, her voice an urgent whisper in my ear.

She was a person, and she’d just expected me to let her get killed...or worse. I saw red. “You _knew!_ You knew she was a person, and you wanted me to kill her!”

Yanagi dropped his hand and sighed. “Stand aside, boy.”

“No.”

“I said stand aside!”

“NO!”

My arms were shaking from more than just being held out like this. Yanagi was a wizard. He could easily curse us both, kill us, I dunno. Magic was a little too wild for me. Lise had clearly already been hurt by magic, and myself, I was ashamed to admit. I was not going to move. No. Matter. What.

Yanagi was practically vibrating with rage. I could practically see the gears grinding in his mind. “The only reason you’re not both dead right now is because I need you alive for my plans to succeed.”

In a flash of yellow light he vanished.

“What the _hell_ is going on?” Lise was already on her feet. She took out her second knife for good measure. “Whose side are you on?!”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” I joined her, brushing moss off my pants. “You _are_ the phoenix, aren’t you?”

“So what if I am?!”

“Well, right now you’re human, and a wizard tried to get me to kill you… What does this all mean?” There had to be a dot I wasn’t connecting.

“Why do you even want to know? You might be a prince, but from where I’m standing, you’re just a hunter for hire!”

“I know! I know, I’m sorry! I don’t know why he wanted me to kill you, but you’re not asking me to murder anyone, so I’m choosing to trust you!”

She paused. Wind out of her sails. “You trust me? You just met me.”

“You could have killed me when I told you who I am, but you didn’t.”

“That was either incredibly stupid or incredibly naïve. I’m not used to trusting people these days.”

I waited. I wasn’t going to push her. This night had been…strange to say the least.

“It’s a curse put on me by Goodwin.”

“The King’s wizard?” My mouth dropped open. “But why? Are you sure?”

She shrugged and hugged her arms to herself. “I guess. All I know is he cursed me to be human at night, and a phoenix during the day.”

“But why?”

“I…wouldn’t marry him. If I don’t find a way to break the spell by the time I’m twenty-one, it’ll be permanent.”

What a creepy old man. “Let me guess, he’ll lift the spell if you change your mind?”

“Yep. He must be getting desperate now that I’m eighteen.” She tugged on her hair.

“But why you?”

She raised an eyebrow at me.

“N-Not that he made a bad choice!”

She let out a barking laugh at that. “I’ve been asking myself that for two years.”

I didn’t have a response to that. There had to be some sort of solution. I’d been away from home for too long. I needed to have time to think. “Listen, do you have a safe place to stay?”

Her head cocked to the side. “Yeah…”

“I need to get home, but I wanna help you.”

“You…do?”

“Yeah, I’ll see if I can do something about the bounty. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

“You’re an…odd prince,” Lise finally said.

My throat and face felt warm. “Sorry. Um…can I…see you again?”

“You want to come back?”

“Yes. I can come back tomorrow.”

She shook her head, but pointed back the way we’d come. “I usually transform by the lake, if you’re sure about this.”

“I am sure,” I said as firmly as I could. I bent to retrieve the first aid kit. “Besides, you owe me a new bowstring.”


	3. Start of Something Right

“It’s official, you’ve lost your mind.”

“Haha, very funny,” I rolled my eyes, but smiled despite the teasing. My room was kind of a mess. I’d managed to comb through every book in Martha’s grotto and wrote down my best leads. I’d strung thread between the fireplace and kitchen, clothes pinning the notes up.

“Have you read every book in here?” My best friend, Aki, a drayd, picked up a book from the numerous stacks all over my room. 

“Not exactly?” I took off the note labeled ‘Magic Aloe?’ and threw it into the fire. It was a dead end anyway. “Books like ‘Dentistry for Beginners’ doesn’t seem like it’d have much information about curse breaking.”

“Good point,” she clapped her green hands together. “Anything I can help with?”

“Not unless you can find another library in the forest?” I threw another note into the fire.

Aki sidled close to me. “I can’t find another library, but you did find a new friend the other night.” She elbowed me conspiratorially. “Eh?”

I let out a long sigh and stepped away from her. “He’s not my friend.”

“But he is a Prince! You could have a prince for a friend!”

“Aki,” I gave her my best weathering stare.

“Lise,” she shot back with a grin. “Was he cute? Is he coming back?”

“No and no. A prince has better things to do.”

“That’s not what it sounded like,” she said in a sing-songy voice.

Now I was getting annoyed. Talking about the prince was getting me nowhere closer to breaking my curse. “How do you even know all this?”

“The fairies talk. They were pretty jealous,” she poked my arm.

“Why the fuck do you care? Don’t you live forever?”

She shrugged. “Not forever, forever. Just as long as my tree continues to live on. And I care because you finally have another human friend to talk to! You should just speed up the process and just sleep with each other.”

“What?” My whole face suddenly burned. “No! Even if we were becoming friends, and he wasn’t a prince, I wouldn’t just do something like that!”

“Why not? You humans are always rushing through things and trying to get the best directions to travel somewhere slightly faster. You all seem to be deeply frightened that your time on Earth is so short.”

This was getting exhausting. “Most people aren’t cursed. Can you actually help, please?”

“Oh right,” she flipped her red hair over her shoulder and started helping me sort through our last leads from the grotto library.

It was quiet for a minute while she and I sorted. Most of the leads were just fairytales. I usually added to the notes if I found a second mention of it. Usually, they didn’t pan out. The forest was vast though, spanning through all the neighboring kingdoms. I didn’t have the means to travel to other countries, so those ideas were out. Unless I could get a wizard willing to help me contact overseas wizards. Unlikely though…

“Are you going to meet him tonight?”

“Aki!”

“What?!”

“I’m not going because he’s not going to be there.”

“What if he is?”

“He’s not!”

“How do you know?”

I threw the rejects I’d accumulated in my hands into the fire. “Look, if I go to prove it to you, will you drop it then?”

Aki smirked at me. “Of course!”

I glared at her to the best of my ability. She wasn’t deterred, and even handed me my knapsack full of my drawing supplies. “I packed you a snack too.”

///

This was too stupid. He wasn’t going to come back. I was just doing this to prove to Aki he wasn’t. Sure he said he’d wanted to help, but… It’d be so much easier for a prince to just forget me.

At least I could sketch tonight. I’d been on curse watch lately, combing through the last of the books the past few weeks. It had taken a lot out of me. It was nice to have a break, instead of thinking about the dead end I was smashing against lately.

Aki had packed me an apple. I took it out to crunch on while I sketched. It was going to be a nice quiet night, and I could draw all night if I wanted to.

A quiet night was apparently too much to ask for. Goodwin strode into my personal space with little regard for how I felt about it. As usual.

He yanked me into the air with his massive hand. “Think you can hide behind royalty do you?” Goodwin took a bite of my apple and spit it in my face before he dropped me back onto the grass.

I coughed, my jaw already aching where he’d gripped me. He was being nastier than usual tonight. I got to my feet and wiped my face. “What’re you talking about?”

He was already pawing through my sketchbook. His lips curled in disgust. “I’m talking about your new little friend.” He ripped out a page and snapped the book shut.

Was he as delusional as Aki? “The prince?”

“The prince?” He repeated in high pitched, mocking voice. “Of course, the prince!” He balled up the torn page and threw it into the lake. “That stupid baby royal is ruining everything! I should just kill you both!”

“Then do it!” I spread my arms. “Do your own dirty work for a change! Cuz it sounds like your plans are backfiring!”

Goodwin grabbed my wrist and pulled me against him like some sick imitation of dancing. I’d learned by now to just take it impassively. He got a sick pleasure out of watching me struggle. “Oh no, my dear, my plans are bigger than you could ever imagine.” He cupped my chin with his meaty fingers. “And your part is to be my blushing bride when I’m King.”

“You’re no king,” I growled back at him.

“Not yet, but think of the fun!” He released me and clapped his hands together. He spun, unfurling his hands like a grand banner.

The forest melted away into what I’d come to understand was the castle’s throne room. Except with a lot of gold. Everything was gold. Even the floor. There were a lot of busts of Goodwin’s head too. Talk about uninspired.

Yellow lights pinged off Goodwin’s fingers. My clothes morphed into a white dress. A heavy crown sat on my head. More illusions.

Goodwin pulled me into him with an arm around my shoulders. “Isn’t it grand? And you would be quite the lucky queen too. Had a change of mind?”

“Of course not!” I waved my hands through the dress and crown, poofing all the illusions.

He threw his arms up. The rest of the illusion dissolved to bring us back to the forest. “There’s just no pleasing you!”

“If you really cared about me, you would have taken no for an answer two year ago!”

Goodwin tutted dismissively. “A man is nothing if not persistent.”

I was feeling particularly furious that night. “You have _never_ been a man. Just a coward.”

Goodwin smiled a nasty, venomous smile. My hair might’ve been short, but that didn’t stop him from using it to drag me around. My scalp stung from the pain. Tears blossomed in my eyes.

“You ungrateful little bitch! I’m offering you everything in the world, and you still don’t want it!” He tossed me aside. “No matter. We still have time for you to change your mind. Goodbye for now.”

He left in another flash of light.

My throat burned with the tears I refused to let fall. My scalp still ached. My hands had taken on the crisscrossing pattern of the gras beneath them.

I finally found the strength to sit up and instantly regretted not doing so sooner. Goodwin had left me a parting gift. Half the pages of my sketchbook were drifting around. Some were even floating in the lake.

I scrambled to grab as many as I could. The covers of my sketchbook lay open and empty in the grass. It had been hard enough to snag the book from my old house years ago. How I was going to get another one…? And already half the sketches were suffering from water damages.

Maybe this time, if I had been quieter… Just kept my head down, but he hated that too. Detached or angry or fake cheerful, it never seemed to be the right answer. All that was left to do was just… get through this recent visit.

Splash!

Someone had jumped in the lake!

No way… I dropped the sketches I’d salvaged. Prince Yusei was wading through the water, snagging pages out of the air.

“What’re you doing?” I shoved the pages I’d dropped into the sketchbook covers.

“What’s it look like?”

I threw off my boots and plunged in after him. The water was freezing even in late July. It was night after all. “Just leave the wet ones!”

“What the hell happened? Why are these…” He trailed off. He must’ve caught a glance of what was on the pages.

I snatched them out of his hands, holding them close to my chest. “None of your business!”

“You’re welcome,” he scowled.

I ignored him and waded my way back to shore. Some of the landscapes survived, and the portrait I did of Luna. But the sketch I’d done of Aki was ruined. I’d have to start over.

“I’m gonna build a fire,” Yusei was already walking off before I could say anything.

I was sorting sketches and artwork while he worked. He was quick and quiet about it. I watched him bring back wood and kindling. He had some sort of bow tool that he used to ignite a spark, blowing gently until it was strong enough for bigger logs to climb and feed on as they burned.

I didn’t realize how badly I was staring until he was setting his boots aside to warm his soaked feet. I did the same. It was a small comfort after Goodwin’s visit, but I would take what I could get.

“How did this end up in the lake?” Yusei’s voice was quiet, different from the biting tone from before. He was peering over my shoulder.

“Oh…Goodwin visited. Still won’t marry him,” I mustered up a half-hearted laugh.

“Does he visit every night?”

“No, just whenever he needs to push me around a little.”

“I see…”

I could hear the pity in his voice. I hated it. Pity was useless to me, and isolating to the people who felt that way. It was why I hadn’t been friends with the other fairies. I didn’t need them looking down their noses at me, thinking they were doing me a favor. Poor, cursed, negative nellie, Lise.

“Why did you come back here?” I sighed.

“Because I said I would.”

“Really? That’s it? It’s not just some weird royal pity project you’re embarking on to alleviate your upper-class guilt?”

“No,” he chuckled a little. “And judging by the knife you had to my throat, you’re in no need of pity. But maybe you wouldn’t mind some help from a friend?”

I stared at him. He didn’t _seem_ to be joking or lying. “Are we friends?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

I shook my head. “You’re a really weird prince.”

“Is it that obvious?” He scratched at the back of his head.

I hadn’t expected a prince to be so easy to talk to. He was just like any other normal person. Or at least what I remembered of normal people. I didn’t interact with your average person as much as I used to. My best friends were a tree and a fairy. It was nice to just talk with another person, and add more logs and sticks to the fire.

It wasn’t until the sky suddenly got lighter, I realized we’d been talking all night. Yusei yawned, probably not used to being up all night like I was. He regarded me with bleary eyes.

I tucked my things into my bag and put my boots on just in time. The transformation wasn’t painful, but it was inconvenient. Like flames whooshing me in between different planes of existence. Flames that didn’t burn and vanished when the change was complete.

I adjusted my wings and shook out the kinks from sitting on the ground for so long. “Good morning.”

Yusei was staring at me with a different look in his eyes. The tiredness seemed to have retreated for the time being. “Are your feathers real gold?”

“Whoa,” I swept my tail feathers out of his reach. “I might not have my knives like this, but I can scratch you with a talon. No touching.”

“Got it, no touching,” he pulled his hands back.

“Sorry to keep you so late. I didn’t realize we talked all night.”

He yawned again, stretching his arms towards the sky. His back cracked. “I liked talking to you. My mom will worry if I don’t get back soon though.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t say that unless it’s because I can’t see you again.”

“You’re going to come back?”

“Unless you move, yes,” he laced up his boots, and shouldered his pack of gear. “See you again soon.”


	4. Seasons Change

Before I knew it, I’d been visiting the woods for weeks. The weather was just starting to snap into colder territory. The greens of the forest were slowly shifting to reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. It gave the forest a more welcoming feel.

I think Lise was warming up to me a little more. She’d mentioned a festival her magical friends had been preparing for. Apparently, the fairies always did a festival to welcome in the new season and help nature…get there? I think? I didn’t really get it, but Lise said she didn’t either. Then she’d asked if I wanted to meet her friends. I couldn’t possibly say no.

This time, I managed to encounter Lise by the lake just as the sun went down. The glow blasted out on all directions, so bright I had to shield my eyes. It was like liquid fire was pulled out of thin air. Fire that wrapped and swirled around her in a blanket. The flames died down with a soft crackling sound, giving Lise back her humanity for the night.

“It’s rude to stare.”

I jumped, raising my hands to defend myself. I hadn’t even heard the person sneaking up on me.

It was a woman who burst into giggles. But she wasn’t…just a woman. Her red hair was comprised of rose petals, with black roses tying back the longer petals from her face. Her skin was green, and her dress was black tree bark. Red maple leaves dotted across her dress.

“Yusei, this is Aki, my friend the dryad.”

“Pleased to meet you, Your Highness,” she smiled, and dipped into a little curtsy too. Aki had warm, brown eyes too.

“Oh, that’s not necessary. Just call me Yusei.”

Aki cocked one red eyebrow. “Interesting. You don’t see a humble prince every day.” She elbowed Lise conspiratorially. “I can see why you like him.”

Lise’s cheeks turned pink. At least I think so. It was hard to tell in the moonlight. “I told you he was weird, not that I liked him!”

“Uh…” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Something twinged in my chest. They seemed close if they could tease like that.

“Well hey, we’re all friends here. I’m just teasing. Oh!” Aki clapped her hands together. “You should meet Leo and Luna too!”

“We were just about to join the festival.”

I smiled. “Sounds like fun.”

“It is!” Aki grinned and spun off to lead the way. “You’ll love it. All the food is tiny!”

“You don’t even need to eat!” Lise called after her with a laugh.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t like it!”

Normally, my mother had taught me to take her arm for escorting purposes. It was polite in our royal circles, and a habit by now. Lise was different. She still didn’t like being touched. By anyone really. Instead, I just gestured after Aki. “After you?”

Lise rolled her eyes. “If you insist.”

Aki was very curious about royal life. I did my best to answer her questions. “I don’t mean to bore you with all these details. I mean, dryads and fairies live forever, right? The temporary establishments humans make can’t be that interesting.”

“Oh, but they are! Lise’s family are bakers. Their home sounds so warm, and I can just smell the pastries every time she talks about it! What does your home smell like?” Aki said all in a rush.

“Um…stone?”

“Hmmm… We’re here!” Aki had brought us to a small clearing I’d never seen before. We had to step through a canopy of leaves to get inside.

Tree roots ran in intricate looping patterns connecting all the trees together in elaborate gates. One giant tree in the middle of the clearing was like the sprawl of a town all crammed into one. Fairies flew around it, carrying all manner of things. Each fairy had its own distinct glow too. Flowers were in bloom everywhere. Some I recognized from the palace gardens, but others were so vibrant and giving off their own glow they had to be magical. It was a massive blur of light and color bustling about to get things ready.

“You made it!” A littler fairy with bubble gum pink wings flitted over to Aki.

“Hi Luna,” Lise greeted as the fairy hugged her neck. “You’re looking bright.”

Luna’s glow increased, and she flew in a circle, giggling. Must be the fairy equivalent of blushing. “Oh, everyone’s just excited for the festival!”

“Where’s your brother?” Aki put a hand on her hip.

“I think he was helping with the metal-working team? I’m sure he’d be happy to see you too.”

“I’ll find him. You stay here,” Aki set off, gingerly making her way between festival props and tiny fairies.

“Be careful!” Luna called after her. The little fairy finally noticed me. She startled and flew into Lise’s hair, folding her wings down. “Who’s he?”

Lise gestured to me without jostling her frightened passenger. “Sorry, Luna this is Yusei. He’s the prince I was telling you about the other day.”

 _She talked about me?_ My chest felt light, but I bowed politely to Luna before she could try to. “Nice to meet you. I like your wings.”

Luna’s glow increased to blinding as she flapped her wings. “Really?”

Lise was giggling. “Luna, your wings tickle!”

“Sorry!” She stopped flapping them, her glow going back down to normal.

“Found him!” Aki came back over, toting a boy fairy on her shoulder. He had the same green hair as his sister, but had sky blue wings.

“So you’re the prince?” Leo scowled at me.

“That’s what they tell me,” I nodded at him too. “Nice to meet you.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed at me and he crossed his arms. “Hmmm, we’ll see.”

“Look, look, it’s starting!” Luna pointed excitedly.

She showed us to a patch of grass near the back that we could sit on and watch. Seeing as we were much taller than any of the fairies, our view wouldn’t be obstructed.

Fairies dressed in red and orange joined those in yellow and blue. Musicians below the airborne dancers started playing. Their glows increased and decreased in time to the music, sometimes even bursting out like the streams of fireworks.

“So, what’s happening here?” I whispered.

Lise pointed at the dancers in yellow and blue. “Those fairies represent summer. The others in orange and red represent fall. They’re thanking summer for its time, and ushering in fall’s turn with the world.”

“They do this for every season?”

“Yeah, how else do you welcome the changes in the world?” Leo rolled his eyes.

I’d never given much thought to the seasons changing. Aside from a change in clothes. The fairies had the right idea about this change being so beautiful. Not only that, but also a good thing.

It was all over too soon. The applause was deafening thanks to our larger hands adding to the numerous tiny ones.

“What did you think?” Aki asked.

“Beautiful! Human celebrations seem so boring now.”

“Lise said the same thing her first time,” Luna grinned. “I wish we could show more people, but most humans aren’t exactly…”

Leo’s scowl deepened. “They kill us and tack us up like common butterflies.”

“Leo!”

“Well, it’s true!”

“But you shouldn’t-“

“Like anyone would want to display you, Leo.” A fairy with dirty blond hair zipped into view. She flew so close to me I had to go cross-eyed just to see her. “Who’s the new guy?”

“He’s my friend, Karen,” Lise frowned at the new fairy.

Karen flitted over to Lise, crossing her tiny arms. She had such a condescending look on her face, I was offended for Lise already. Her look was also different from Leo and Luna’s. They seemed to have fashioned clothes patterned after nature, with leaves and comfort in mind. Rhea wore what looked like pants that were also her shirt with buckles over them? I hoped fairies didn’t have to use the bathroom like humans, otherwise she looked ridiculous. Like the girls in the city trying out the latest trends from other kingdoms. “Really? A human this pretty is _your_ friend? Please, with your track record, he’ll ditch you the second you decide he’s not catering to your every whim anymore.”

“Do us all a favor and buzz off, Karen. No one asked for your opinion.” Lise’s hands curled around the handles of her knives.

“Don’t misunderstand, sweetie,” Karen smirked. “I’m just saving you the heartbreak.”

Aki raised her hand. Vines loaded with thorns snapped to the ready. “And I suggest you save us the trouble of making you leave us alone by doing it yourself.”

“I just wanted to talk!” Karen insisted with a hand to her chest. Based on her sneer that wasn’t all she wanted. “And to offer my sincere regrets for seeing each other like this.” She flicked an unusually large amount of light at Lise’s face as she left.

I watched the fairy flounce away and rejoin a few others. I had dozens of questions, but I knew something had happened between those two. Why else would someone Lise clearly didn’t care for make the effort to drop by?

“Don’t listen to her,” Luna frowned. “Karen is always like that to people she thinks are beneath her. Her inner circle let’s her get away with it because they think she’s an angel.”

“It’s the blonde hair,” Lise sighed, tugging on her own. “She’s just better at playing up the victim part better.”

“Don’t let her ruin your night.” Aki instructed, her expression serious, brandishing her green index finger. “You’re probably the only two humans in the world to ever see the fairy seasons celebrations!”

“Thanks for letting me tag along. It was an honor, and I’m honored to have met all of you. Can I visit again?”

Luna flew over to me, excitedly flapping her wings. “Of course! Thank you for joining!”

“We should get to the banquet,” Leo said. “Mom and dad are probably wondering where we are.”

“And that’s our que to leave,” Lise stood up. I followed her example.

“Can you find your way back to the lake okay?” Aki cocked an eyebrow again at her friend.

“Of course I can!”

“Okay, just checking,” Akiza laughed.

“You get lost _one_ time,” Lise muttered, but she was smiling. She knew she was being teased. Their easy friendship seemed so nice.

“Bye!” Luna waved us off. Leo did too after some nudging from his sister and Aki.

Lise held the leafy canopy aside for me, and let it fall back into place. “Sorry to have you leave like this. Nonmagical beings aren’t allowed at the banquet. Otherwise, I would’ve stayed. Their milk berry pies are _amazing_.”

“Maybe I can try one next time? I did have fun, regardless.”

“Good, I was a little hesitant. Not all the fairies take kindly to humans, as you saw.”

“All the more reason I’m glad to have met your friends. Leo, Luna, and Aki were really nice. Do they help you with finding ways to break your curse?”

“Yeah,” Lise sighed. She held an arm across her body, rubbing the opposite arm. “Leo and Luna helped me when I asked about the fairies’ moonstone. They introduced me to the fairy queen too. The moonstone supposedly gives off fairy dust that’s supposed to have many magical properties. Apparently, not enough to lift a curse on a human.”

I rested a hand on my temple while I thought. There had to be something we were missing… “Well, I’m glad to be part of your friends helping you. I might not be magical enough to help with that aspect of the curse, but maybe I can do something about that bounty…”

“You wouldn’t happen to know who started it, do you?” She frowned at the reminder of being hunted. I winced, remembering _I_ had been the last hunter to attack her. “My guess is Goodwin. He wasn’t too happy about the fact that I escaped the night he…”

“Maybe I could ask him about it?” The idea came to me aloud. I lowered my fist into my hand.

“No!” I came to a stop at Lise suddenly grabbing my arm. “You can’t! He’ll retaliate somehow and we have no way to stop him!”

“But…” I took in the way she was so tightly squeezing my arm. I thought she’d been under stress before with Karen, but this was much worse. There was…a desperation to her eyes. She’d already been cursed and no doubt tormented by Goodwin for so long. I didn’t know all the details yet, but I didn’t need to in order to trust her. “Okay… I won’t talk to him. I’ll find some other way around the bounty. I promise.”

The intensity of her gaze lessened. Lise lowered her head, letting out a long sigh. I swallowed. Goosebumps erupted where her warm breath had ghosted past my hand. My cheeks felt warm too.

“Uh, sorry,” Lise released my arm. She held herself again, face turned away from me. “It’s been a while since I talked with a human friend.”

“It’s okay,” I assured her.

We walked in silence for a little while. Eventually I could see the glittering moonlight on the lake.

“So,” I adjusted the quiver of arrows and my bow slung across my back. “Does this mean I’m part of your friends? Officially?”

She laughed a little. “Are you sure? You might not like me the more you get to know me.”

I pretended to consider it. “I mean, you did threaten me the first time we met.”

“And that’s not even me at my angriest.”

“Me either, but I’m willing to see that side of you,” I said quietly.

Lise raised an eyebrow. “Even if it’s directed at you?”

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. See you tomorrow?”

“Sure,” she smiled. “Tomorrow.”


	5. Dragon's Keep

I consulted our maps. The air was biting cold. Enough to make me shiver despite the coat I was wearing. Fall was coming in earnest. Perfect time to meet a dragon.

It was one of two of the last leads I’d decided were valid. A dragon was rumored to have hidden its hoard on the western edge of the Spirit Forest. Another book had told me dragons could use their infinite wisdom to answer a question for you. Only if you brought them a gift in exchange though.

Martha had offered a few of the ocean gems she kept at the bottom of her grotto. While it was tempting, I told her they were hers, not mine. The only thing of value I had was a piece of quartz I’d found at the bottom of the lake once. It’d have to do.

Luna had insisted on coming with me. Aki wanted to go too, but she was also preparing for winter. Plant creatures didn’t like the cold so much. Leo, of course, wasn’t going to let his sister come alone. Yusei had insisted on tagging along too. When he said he wanted to help, I hadn’t realized to what extent. I thought he’d just get assholes to leave me alone and call it good. Nope.

I was nearly nineteen. Their insistence that I not go alone was annoying. I could handle a dragon. The hard part was getting to her.

“So are dragons supposed to be omnipotent? Is that how they know everything?” Yusei asked.

“I dunno. Might be that they’ve just lived long enough.”

Luna nodded, perched cross-legged on my shoulder. “The Crimson Dragon is supposed to have been around for thousands of years. Longer than the rest of us. She’s gotta know something!”

“I sure hope so,” Leo agreed. He pointed ahead to where the map said the path ended. “There it is!”

The rocky mountain went up, up, so UP that its peak vanished into the clouds. Judging by how foggy it was, visibility wouldn’t have been much better during the day. At least the moon was full. A gust of wind blew upwards from behind us, as if beckoning us upward.

This was my quest, not anyone else’s. The fairies already knew what they were in for, but Yusei didn’t. “You can still back out. It’s not too late.”

“Not a chance,” Yusei offered me a smile. “Yeah, this looks scary as hell, but I keep my promises. After you.”

“Suit yourself,” I shook my head. _Still weird as hell._ “Luna, stay close, okay? I don’t want the wind blowing you off.”

“Okay!”

Leo flew over to Yusei. “My sister says I have to make sure you don’t die.”

“Well, I appreciate the thought,” Yusei chuckled, allowing the little fairy to hunker down in the folds of his coat.

Luna did the same. “Ready!”

The walk was rocky and steep. Luckily, the path was well defined by stones, but not well worn. Guess travel was easier when you didn’t have to walk.

Even though I had gloves on my hands were shaking. After several hours of walking, the going got so steep it was more of a climb. Leo and Luna were smart enough to fall silent to allow Yusei and I the ability to climb without distraction. Why did dragons have to live so far up?

When my hands felt like they were vibrating I finally hauled myself over a ledge big enough to sit on. I needed to rest and eat something.

Luna’s tiny hand fell on my face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…just need a break…”

“Seconded,” Yusei breathed, joining me on the ledge. He pulled out snacks from his coat: jelly tarts and berries.

“We’re getting close,” Leo pointed up at the dark sky.

“Joy,” I groaned. I wiped my mouth. I knew I’d just downed the jelly tart like a pig, but I didn’t care. Rock climbing really zapped all your energy.

“Ready to keep going?” Yusei popped the last of the berries in his mouth.

I laughed a little. He had powdered sugar on the corner of his mouth. I pointed at it. “You got a little…”

“Oh,” his cheeks were flushed pink with more than just cold. He wiped away the crumbs. “Better?”

“Much.”

We kept going. Navigating mainly by moonlight and fairy glow was dangerous and slow going. My hands weren’t vibrating anymore, but burned with every flex of my fingers. The handholds we clung to were getting smaller and smaller. My toes were also protesting with their own burning cries. But there was nowhere else to go but up.

A gust of wind kicked up. I leaned into the mountainside. This high up the winds were even more dangerous.

Luna screamed in my ear. She was being pulled away by the wind!

I dropped my grip with one hand and snatched her out of the air. Luna screamed again, louder than before. I’d grabbed her by the wings.

“Luna!” Leo called up to us.

She was shaking like a leaf. Luna clung to my neck and coat like her life depended on it. It kinda did. Except for the fact that I had nearly ripped her wings off her back.

“I’m so sorry, Luna. Are you okay?”

“Y-Y-Yes…” she stammered out.

I let out a slow breath to relax. This turned out to be the exact wrong thing to do. I’d been holding on with one hand so hard my handhold had snapped. My feet slipped downward.

I screamed, struggling desperately for a handhold. A foothold. ANYTHING!

Just as soon as I’d lost my grip, I found it again. Sort of. My hands had found purchase in new handholds, albeit lower than my previous position. And my foot…

“OH MY GOD!” I pulled my foot off of Yusei’s face. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” Yusei grimaced. “Can’t say I ever wanted to taste the bottom of your boot though.” He spat out the taste. “Are you okay?”

“Luna?!” Leo’s wings fluttered, and his glow was a dark yellow.

“I’m okay,” her voice sounded faint.

“Me too,” I shuddered.

“But I think my wing is busted,” Luna added.

“Shit,” I couldn’t help but swear. I doubted a dragon would give us two favors. “We’ll have to try to fix it when we get to the top.”

“Can you hang on until then, Luna?”

“Yeah!”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to her as I resumed climbing. “I should never have let you come with me.”

Luna’s tiny hand fell on my cheek. “We’re your friends. You couldn’t have stopped us from coming.”

I felt marginally better. My chest felt warmer though. Warm enough to get me to the finish line. “Hold on tight. We’re almost there.”

I plowed on. We needed to get to safety. Right now, it was more dangerous out here than it would be indoors with a dragon.

At the lip of the cave, jutted out the biggest rock ledge on the mountain. It was enormous, easily able to accommodate a dragon and a friend or two. I pulled myself up like I was dragging what was left of my life over the ledge. I rolled onto my back, relaxing fully for the first time in hours.

It took a herculean effort to push myself up. Yusei and Leo still needed me. I reached down, and Yusei grabbed my hand. I helped pull him up so we could both collapse from exhaustion.

“Still glad you followed me up here?” I was only half joking, lying on my back again.

Yusei joined me on his back. He was breathing heavily. “I’d follow you anywhere.”

“Humans are so weird,” Leo scoffed.

“Leo!”

I must not have realized how stressed I’d been because the second I closed my eyes I couldn’t open them. My eyelashes glued together. I knew Luna’s wing needed help. I knew that there was a dangerous dragon mere feet from us, and were lying on its front yard. But I was tired. So tired…

///

Rocks met my eyes when I finally opened them. My eyes felt heavy, crusty with eye boogers too. My head felt fuzzy, but I was warm and dry. Cozy even! Weird…

The past day came back to me in a rush. _Leo and Luna! Yusei!_ Where were they? Were they okay?

I sat up awkwardly, tripping over my talons. I’d slept for a while if I was in bird form. It was daytime. Leo and Luna protested loudly as they tumbled out of my feathers. At least they were safe. Yusei was sound asleep beside me. We all seemed to have been sleeping on a massive bed of pillows and blankets.

“Luna, how’s your wing?”

“All better!” She smiled at me, flapping her wings rhythmically to prove they were in good shape.

“How did-“

“Oh good, you’re waking up!” An ancient voice echoed from above.

The twins and I jumped back. A long, giant, undulating red body shifted. Its massive head lowered into view. I swallowed. Now I knew why the cave’s ledge was so massive.

“What brings you to my hoard?” The dragon blinked its golden eyes at us.

Yusei was asleep so he couldn’t respond. I was a little… woozy still. Luna kept trying to get my attention, but I was a little preoccupied with the giant dragon in front of me. 

“I’m sorry, you all must be hungry.” She retreated slightly to the fireplace where something was cooking.

My mouth watered, stomach churning. Was it safe to eat something served by a dragon? The smell was so yummy. My stomach propelled me to the dragon’s table. Leo and Luna even had their own fairy sized bowls.

Yusei must have smelled it too. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. His hair was mussy from sleep. “What smells so good?”

“Breakfast.”

“Say no more,” he dug in just as fervently as I did.

“Thank you,” I said when I remembered my manners.

The Crimson Dragon beamed. At least I think she did. “Of course. We dragons have a bad reputation for being greedy, heartless hoarding monsters, so I do my best to be a good host when I have visitors. People seem to have forgotten dragons and humans were on the same side for most of history. So…” she folded her foreclaws and rested her head before us. “Now that you’ve been fed, tell me why you’ve paid me a visit.”

“Well, it wasn’t originally because of my wing,” Luna said. “Thank you, by the way. What do you require for payment?”

“Oh, that’s quite all right,” the dragon shook her head. “You were in pain. Believe me, I know what it’s like to need wing maintenance.”

“We’re actually here for answers,” I cleared my throat. “You see, I’m-“

“Yes, that’s quite the curse you’re under, child,” the dragon’s eyes shifted to half-moons. Sad? Worried? It was hard to tell. “You were human when you collapsed on my landing, but at the son’s rising you became a phoenix. I’ve seen variations of this particular curse for centuries.”

My heart soared. “So you can break it? With your fire breath or something?!”

Crimson Dragon’s eyes darted to the side. She drummed her claws on the stone floors. “Technically…”

“There’s always a catch,” Leo grumbled, crossing his arms. His sister elbowed him for his rudeness.

“I could technically break the curse with my fire breath, which would kill you.”

“No!” Yusei blurted.

“Kill?!” Luna squeaked in agreement.

My heart sank. This didn’t sound good.

“As a phoenix you’d be reborn from your own ashes, but rebirth is exactly the problem. You would need to be a phoenix to be reborn, and it could force you to become a true phoenix with no memories of your life as a human.

“Okay, so that’s not a good option,” I said. “Any others?”

“The others are…generally loved based…”

Leo stuck out his tongue. “Like romance? Gross!”

“Not necessarily,” Crimson Dragon raised one claw. “There are many different types of love. Any act of grand love in the face of extreme duress could be strong enough for your curse to break.”

I scowled up at her. I think. It’s hard to tell if the point comes across with a beak instead of lips and mouth.

Who was she kidding? My parents’ love wouldn’t be enough. A reunion…I would love that more than anything, but it wouldn’t be enough. I loved all my friends too…but… “But acts of romantic love are the easiest curse breakers, right?”

She nodded. “Historically, the most common is the kiss.”

Yusei had been unusually quiet the entire conversation. Until he coughed, I’d honestly forgotten he was there. “Sorry, uh, wrong pipe.”

“So you can’t help me,” I said, choosing to ignore him being weird.

“Not in that way…no…” At least the Crimson Dragon had the capacity to look ashamed.

Yusei cleared his throat. “What do you mean? Can you help in another way?”

“Yes!” The dragon smiled. “I have books filled with knowledge! That was my signature hoard. Never been a big fan of jewels. I can do some research…” She got up and retreated further into her home. She came back with a pile of books. “I can read quickly! Oh also…” She left again, to look for something judging by how much bashing and crashing noises she made.

“She’s a weird dragon,” Leo commented.

“Leo!” Luna hissed. “Don’t be so rude!”

“What? I expected her to be scarier!”

“Here!” The Crimson Dragon came back and deposited two large pearls on the table. They were gorgeous, catching the light in their moon-like quality. “These are magically linked pearls. We can use these to communicate. You just tap it and say the name of the person who possess its twin.”

“That’s a start,” Yusei spoke up. He sounded ever the diplomatic prince. Glad he could speak. I was too frustrated to be constructive. “What do you want as payment?”

“Oh…not payment exactly, but… I wouldn’t mind if you visited more often.”

“Really?” I frowned at her. “You don’t want…anything?”

“That’s it, really. Would give me something to do besides exist and improve my cooking skills.”

I shrugged. “I guess we could do that?”

She beamed. “Feel free to fly in, all four of you. It should be no problem during the day. Phoenixes can carry twenty times their own weight.”

“I knew we should’ve gone during the day,” Yusei muttered. He winced when I threw him a scathing glare.

“I guess we should be going then,” I ruffled my feathers. Leo and Luna took their cue and climbed aboard my back. I made my way out to the massive landing ledge the Crimson Dragon called her front door.

Yusei pocketed one of the pearls. “Thank you for this. We’ll be in touch.”

“That’s all I could ask for.” The dragon waved.

“Come on, Yusei, we don’t have all day,” I tapped my talon impatiently on the rock ledge.

“Sorry, thank you for all your help,” Yusei nodded politely to the Crimson Dragon.

I flew up to his shoulders. I had never tried this before, but if I could carry twenty times my own weight…

I took off like it was nothing. Yusei in my talons. Leo and Luna clinging to my feathers. Another mission ending up bust.

I gently placed Yusei down on the ground. He offered his arm for me to land on. I did so, inching up to his shoulder. Normally I would’ve been pacing or yelling at no one in my frustration. Those kinds of things were harder to do as a bird.

“Hey,” Yusei must’ve noticed my bad mood. “This didn’t work out. We’ll find something else. Plus, now we have a dragon on our side.” He shrugged his shoulder, bobbing me around a little. “Okay?”

“He’s right,” Luna soothed.

I sighed. It was hard to stay pissed when they were trying so hard to comfort me.

“Thanks, guys. I guess… It’s back to the drawing board.”


	6. Diplomacy

I stirred my soup around with my spoon. It was hard to think with the droll of boring conversation practically lulling everyone to sleep. Dad was entertaining the King, Queen and Princesses of Academy kingdom tonight. They were great, and bearable, but it was mostly a ploy for good relations during the New Year’s Festival.

“Yusei? Yusei!”

Mom elbowed me. I dropped the spoon. It clanked against my bowl. Mon nodded subtly to dad using only her eyes. She was so much better at this diplomacy and interkingdom relations than I was. She was even better at dealing with dad.

“Yes?” I smiled and folded my hands on the table.

“I was just mentioning our stellar staff members. There’s my wizard, our cook Dorothy, and Captain Mina. Care to chime in?”

I knew what that was code for; agree or else. Dad was always like this. Benevolent on the outside, cruel with his words when no one else was watching or listening. It was hard to remember this man as the same person who had read stories to me and taught me how to tinker with machinery when I was a child. The man whose hair and eyes I shared.

“Oh, yes, our staff is the best of the best. I can’t get enough of Dorothy’s jelly tarts. And Captain Mina…” The captain was in charge of our law distributions…

“Well, there you have it,” Dad shot me a disapproving glance, and plastered on a grin for King Shephard. “A kingdom whose heir approves of the staff can more effectively rule when their time comes.”

King Shephard chuckled. “I suppose, of course I would prefer the royal dresser be exchanged for the sake of my daughters’ comfort when their time comes.”

“Father,” Princess Alexis swatted her dad’s arm.

My eyes widened. Shephard just laughed and resumed taking his sip of wine. I wished I could tease my dad like that. I suppose I could tease him, but I’d get an earful.

Princess Alexis was nice. They way she carried herself, I could tell she was a proud woman. Not for nothing either. Academy Kingdom was known for its intelligent people, excellent trading, and abundance of recreational activities. It was a popular kingdom to retire in.

She was a striking presence too. Blonde hair and dark brown eyes. The blue of her dress softened her severe jawline, but did nothing to lessen the intelligence in her eyes.

Princess Blair, Alexis’s sister launched into a lengthy story about her…balancing lessons? I think? Dad has asked her a question. No doubt it was about her duties as a princess. I thought being a prince was boring, but at least I didn’t have to learn how to look dainty while sipping tea. Nevertheless, Blair bragging about her ‘exceptional balance’ made me want to teat my toenails off. That would be far less torturous.

Blair was the exact opposite of her sister. Round eyes and face. Long, dark hair, and bluish eyes? Maybe? I hadn’t bothered to look very hard.

I settled back into my muddled boredom. There had been something dad said earlier that gave me an idea…

Captain Mina! Maybe I could ask her help about issuing a fine for anyone caught hunting Lise! Could I do that? I wasn’t king… _yet._

“Father,” I spoke up. I had to choose my next words carefully. With the addition of guests, perhaps he wouldn’t make a scene or be as harsh. “I’m curious. Can Captain Mina assist with lawmaking as well as enforcing?”

Dad folded his hands and placed them in his lap. He sat back in his seat at the head of the table. “And what is it you would to ask her for?”

I allowed myself to breathe. He wasn’t outright saying no. “I was out hunting the other day. I’ve seen this rare bird, a phoenix, out in the forest. I heard it’s one of the rarest in the world, only a few left. I was hoping we could put out… a fine notice. Say anyone caught hunting the bird specifically will be heavily fined?”

Dad burst out laughing. I shared a look with mom. She remained impassive, but I could see the tiny wrinkle between her eyebrows.

“You’ve had a change of heart then? Archery has finally made you a soft-hearted preservationist?” Dad chuckled. He took a sip of wine.

Alexis wasn’t laughing. “You’re an archer?”

“And a mechanic,” I said quickly. I was more focused on my dad.

“I think it’s a noble idea,” Alexis spoke up pointedly. “All organizations have a code of conduct, or an honor system. My fencing teacher keeps us and our matches honest by holding ourselves up to important standards. The archers in our kingdom, I believe, do the same. Rare creatures must be allowed to live their lives like the rest of us. Don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

Wow. I hadn’t expected any help. Well, that came from someone that wasn’t my mother.

Dad was torn. He couldn’t disagree with her now without making King Shephard upset. He also couldn’t just let a neighboring princess come in and tell him how to rule his country. When he finally opened his mouth, he spoke slowly and deliberately. “A code of honor is indeed admirable. I suppose if my son wishes to turn over a new leaf in terms of interest in the laws and orders of this kingdom, as his father, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

///

Next morning, I was up bright and early to run down to Captain Mina’s office. “Captain, are you in?” I knocked on her open door.

“Prince Yusei?” she leaned out from behind a large chest filled to the brim with files. “It is you, Your Highness! I heard word from your father last night you might be around!”

I hadn’t seen Mina and her second in command, Ushio, up close much. Mina was a small woman with bluish hair. Her hazel eyes were warm and bright, and not because of the morning sunshine streaming into her office. Ushio was the exact opposite. A tall, muscled man with dark hair, eyes, and skin. He had a gnarly scar on his face too. How had they ended up as a duo?

My idea suddenly seemed stupid and childish now that I was presented with the reality of actually doing it. “Um… I was wondering if you could help me create, uh, a notice?”

Mina frowned, an odd expression on her serene face. “Notice of what? Is this a new law your father wants implemented?”

“Not exactly. He said I could put out a fine notice for a specific bird I noticed on one of my hunting trips?”

“Right,” Ushio nodded. “I heard about that bird. Rumor has it, phoenixes are the rarest birds in the world.”

“Exactly,” I felt the tension in my shoulders ease. “I’m hoping by putting up a fine notice, people will be discouraged from hunting it.”

“This is about preservation?” Mina cocked an eyebrow. In that moment I realized why she was the captain. She could disarm you with an innocent question, and get you to tell her your real plan in an instant. I wasn’t about to tell Mina the truth about Lise’s curse, but I could bend it a little. “I would think a hunter, such as yourself, would want to take down a phoenix, Your Highness.”

Ushio nodded. “Your skills would be the stuff of legend.”

“I suppose…” I slid my hands into my pockets. “But sometimes being a good hunter means knowing when to stop.”

Mina smiled at that. “How noble of you, Highness. We can certainly do so. The bounty for the bird was already quite high, so how much should the fine be?”

“How much is the bounty?”

“Five hundred gold coins,” Ushio blurted. He flushed, shooting Mina an apologetic look. “I’ve been monitoring the streets closely, captain. There are many rare bounties out there for hunters, but the phoenix is the highest.”

“Make the fine a thousand gold coins then,” I said.

Ushio and Mina’s eyes bugged out. “But Highness, that’s more than most households make in a month!”

“Exactly,” I needed to be firm here. Doubling the fine would make all but the most desperate or ruthless hunters think twice. “It’s a steep price to pay.”

Mina shrugged. No skin off her back. “Very well then. We’ll have the fine drawn up and distributed within the week.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll make sure you’re both adequately compensated for the extra work.”

“Oh, not necessary,” Ushio waved the gesture away. “It isn’t every day we get to see our crown prince.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course,” Mina nodded.

“Well then, thank you, and I’ll do what I can to stop by more often. Check in with you every now and then to thank you for your excellent work.”

“We’d appreciate it, Your Highness.” They both bowed.

I bit my lip. Even though I’d been a prince all my life, the bowing was something I never liked or got used to. I nodded my respects to them.

This was some good news. One issue out of the way, but there was still the curse itself and running out of solid curse breaking leads. Martha’s grotto library had been picked clean by Lise, or so she said. I had never seen it. We had the Crimson Dragon doing her own research. She kept in contact with Lise via the pearls. She said it was like talking to a crystal ball, and asking for her fortune. What we needed was a new library…

The library! The palace library was enormous, and no doubt full of information we could use to track down more magical leads! But no one in the kingdom besides the people who lived in the palace had access to it…

My whole body felt like it was groaning. I had to ask my father for another favor. And Princess Alexis couldn’t assist me on this one. I had to remember to thank her later.

Right now? I needed to get to dad’s office before I lost my nerve.

Luckily, mom was also in dad’s office, going over finances. Too bad he was in a bad mood. Judging by how hard he was slamming denied stamps on citizen requests, that is. He didn’t even look up.

“What else do you want, Yusei?”

“Oh, it isn’t much,” I said. Truth be told, any request to dad was too much. It was why I usually asked mom. She had just as much power as dad, and legally too, but he’d gone back and changed such laws ten years ago. He had to give permission for just about everything these days.

“Honey,” mom placed a hand on his arm. “Let’s hear him out.”

“I was wondering if you could write up a royal permission?” I spoke quickly, just in case dad changed his mind.

He finally raised his head. “Are we to find out the reason you’ve been spending so much time in the woods? I can’t imagine all of them were hunting trips. I’m surprised you haven’t become bored with your silly bows and arrows by now.”

“Ryu,” mom hissed. She squeezed his arm.

“Haruna, you can’t keep babying him. He’s twenty now, not five.”

“All the more reason to allow him to find out what kind of person, and therefore, what kind of ruler he wants to become.”

I cleared my throat loudly. Best to cut them off before their argument really caught fire. “The royal admittance form would be for my friend. She’d like to use our library for some research.”

“Research? Oh, is she a scholar?” Mom’s face lit up.

“Sort of,” I scratched at the back of my neck. “But she’s a bit unusual. Does most of her work during the night. Is that something you can do for her?”

Dad’s eyebrow popped. “You’ve been spending all your time in the woods with a girl?”

“It’s not like that!” My face felt hot and warm, so did the collar of my shirt. “We met on a hunting trip, and…She wants to go looking for different game. We just need some research to do so.”

“And you’re sure she isn’t a spy?” Dad leaned on his stack of papers that still needed signing or denial. “Or a witch?”

“No, she isn’t,” I blurted before even my mom could say something. My hands tightened into fists.

Dad rolled his eyes. He waved his hand for me to go, returning to his work. “Whatever. Fine. I’ll give you the permission paper tomorrow. Now get out.”

I bowed low, happy to do so probably for the first time in my life. “Thank you, sir.”

Mom smiled at me as I left. Happy to leave for a change. Finally, a double dose of good news to ring in the New Year.


	7. Masks On and Off

“Going out for the New Year’s celebration?” Aki greeted me in my bathroom once dusk unfolded.

“Yep, you wanna come too? You’d blend right in. Some people go all out with the body painting.”

“Hmm, maybe I will? Try some of your parents’ food?” Aki double checked her reflection in the mirror. Her dress shifted to something a bit more human styled, no leaves or obvious tree bark. Her hair smoothed out so the petals weren’t as obvious. The tree bark of her dress turned white, and she grew white tree bark shoes. A white rose adorned her hair. “Ready!”

“You don’t even need extra face paint,” I laughed.

New Year’s Festival was always a big deal in New Domino Kingdom. It was a celebration of appreciating the old and welcoming the new. It was traditional to paint one’s face to go into the new year as a new you, ready and able.

I put the final touches on my painted face mask. This year I had gone with flames. There were yellows, oranges and reds I had blended together all around my eyes and over the bridge of my nose. I added smudges of charcoal to resemble ashes, and the flames rising out of them. With my black cloak on to hide my identity, I looked like a tiny spark of flame rising from ashes.

“But I love your face paint,” Aki smiled at me. “Mine is built in, but I think there’s a beauty to making it yourself.”

“Well, it’s time for the moment of truth,” I wrapped my arm around hers. “It’s party time.”

///

The festival was in full swing down at Fountain Plaza. Stands of food and games were bright and colorful despite the dark night. I could practically smell the excitement.

“Oh wow!” Aki gushed. “Let’s play some games! Oh, or let’s get some food!”

“You need money for both of those,” I explained. “Of which, we have none.”

Aki turned her big, brown doe eyes on me. Her lower lip jutted out. “Come on, there’s gotta be something we can do to get money. I wanna try your family’s sweet buns.”

It’d be risky. I knew _of_ a way, but…

“ _Please!”_

“Okay,” I took a deep breath. “But wait here, okay?”

“Promise,” Aki grinned. “I’ll even grow roots here if you need me to!”

“Please don’t do that. I’ll be right back.”

I slipped between booths silently. I’d learned how to move over the town’s cobblestones silently for years. There were many other festival goers, like me, dressed in dark clothes to keep their faces hidden. I wouldn’t stick out, but I had to be careful.

The aviary booth was right where it always was. Crow was manning it, also as always. He had dark circles under his eyes. His smile was more forced than usual. The supply of bird care items also outnumbered the birds he had out too. Were the bird disappearances getting worse?

I slunk behind the aviary. Crow still kept the extra cash under a loose rock in the back-room’s supplies. I took a quarter of the dough, enough for two games and a couple rolls.

“Where do you think you’re going?” A biting voice growled, and a hand clamped down on my wrist.

My knife was out and pointed at the guy’s throat before I’d even thought about it. His mask of feathers was gorgeous, highlighted with a dusting of gold. The dark paint did nothing to hide the intensity of his gray eyes. The reddish mop of hair that he pushed back with a sweatband. “Crow?”

“No way…” Crow dropped my wrist. “Lise?”

We stared at each other for a second.

Crow blinked and rubbed at his eye with the back of his hand. “I thought you disappeared like the others.” He reached for me and I found myself reaching for him, lowering my knife even. It was strange to be hugging an old friend in a smelly, old temporary bird stand. My own eyes felt wet.

“What happened to you? Where did you go? Where have you been?” Crow fired off questions one after the other.

“I’ve been…” I hesitated. More people knowing my secrets wasn’t a good idea. Three people can keep a secret, if two of them are dead. “I’ve been living in the woods.” I decided a half truth was all right. “After a run in with a wizard.”

“I’m so sorry,” Crow looked around. “Let’s not talk here. Jack will want to see you too. One second.” He dipped back into the shop front and came back within a minute. “I have Shun watching the booth. Come with me.”

I followed Crow back into the narrow booth alleyways. I’d forgotten how much fun friends were. I mean, I had Aki, Martha, and the twins, but they were magical. They moved through time and space completely differently.

Crow found Jack during his free period. Jack was in training to be a page still, but he was also involved in a theater production for the night. A lot can happen in two years, apparently.

“Lise!” Jack’s paint mask resembled a crown of bubbles. It was graceful, ethereal, and regal all in one. The blues and whites and purples circling each other elegantly. They offset his deep, violet eyes perfectly. He wrapped me up in a big hug. “It’s been so long, mate!”

“Good to see you too,” I laughed, patting his back. He was still grinning after we pulled away.

“Let’s go grab something to eat and talk.”

“Good idea, let’s get my friend and grab a roll at my parents’ stall.”

The boys followed me. I breathed a sigh of relief when Aki was exactly where I had left her. Albeit a little bit annoyed, judging by her pronounced scowl.

“What took so long?”

“Aki, these are my old friends; Jack,” I gestured to him. Jack was almost Crow’s exact opposite. Tall, blond like me, and imposing (unless you knew him well). “And Crow.”

“Oh,” Aki smirked. “You brought party favors too.”

Crow looked completely different. He froze, eyes wide. “I-I-I…h-hi…” He extended his hand.

Aki giggled and took it. “Nice to meet you.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Shall we get some food then?”

“Yeah, just don’t tell my parents I’m…well…me…” I said, putting my hood up.

“But-“

“Just don’t,” Aki spoke up for me. “Trust her.”

“Okay.”

I’d bought a roll every year from my parents’ stand on New Year’s Festival. It was difficult, but… I needed to see my family. At least once a year. It was enough. I couldn’t tell them or burden them with my curse. They had a hard time getting by enough as it is… They were too busy anyway. What could a family of bakers do?

Sora and Akira were growing up nicely. Akira would turn sixteen after my nineteenth birthday. He was already going through puberty. His voice cracking as he helped customers. Sora was cheerful and cute with her bushy, white-blonde hair and smile. Mom and Dad were smiling and happy for customers, handing out goods in exchange for coins. But mom’s blue eyes were sad and heavy, just like they’d always been since I’d had to leave. Even dad’s heart wasn’t fully in it.

We sat by the fountain with our rolls eating and chatting.

“So what happened?”

“Wizard. I just…didn’t feel like I could come back. There’s something I have to take care of before I can.”

“Hey, we understand,” Crow reached for my hand. I let him squeeze it. “I’m just glad you’re still here.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, the disappearances have been getting worse.”

“Girls and boys now.” Crow hung his head. No wonder he looked tired. “My birds have been disappearing too. Faster than we can get new ones and train them.”

“Maybe they’re connected?” I polished off my roll. “I’m not sure on the specifics yet.”

“Nobody is.”

Aki frowned. “I think the wizards are planning something. In two years, there’s going to be a spiritual alignment, of sorts. It’s supposed to heighten the powers of all us magical creatures.”

Jack put his hand up. “I think we should keep our eyes open. We have all these pieces to a mystery but no dots to connect them.”

“Wow,” Crow clapped him on the back. “That was almost intelligent.”

“Hey! I can be smart!”

“I suppose you’d have to be, a little, in order to be a page,” I teased.

Crow messed with Jack’s hair while he pouted. Aki and I couldn’t help but laugh. The clock tower chimed the hour. This had been the best New Year’s Festival so far. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them.

“Ugh… I need to get going,” Jack groaned, getting to his feet and tossing his food wrapper. “Sorry, mates, but that’s the end of my break.”

“Look at you, being all responsible and grown up,” I was only half teasing. “The kingdom is lucky to have you, Jack.”

He puffed out his chest at that. “Come visit us more, and we’ll show you how grown up we are.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

Jack tipped an imaginary hat and was off.

“You don’t have to go yet, do you?” Aki snagged Crow’s hand.

“Uh no, no. Lise, you still have the cash you stole from me?”

I reddened and showed him the few bills left. “Yep.”

“Can we play a game?” Aki’s big, brown eyes snapped between the two of us. Pleading again.

“Anything you want,” Crow sighed. Oh, he was so wrapped around her finger already. Although judging by the way Aki was smiling at him, she was feeling differently about this one…

Crow brought us to the dunk game. Aki giggled and marveled over it like a little kid. They both did their best to throw the tiny dominos into the wooden cups a good distance away.

“This is so hard!”

“We can get one in!”

“Go, go, go!” I cheered.

Splunk!

“Yes!” Aki jumped and hugged Crow. “You got one!”

Crow chuckled, hugging her back. “I guess I did.”

The booth attendee handed Crow a tiny little wooden figure.

“Let’s go try another game!” Aki was already dragging Crow off to a different place that had caught her eye.

They looked cute together. Two redheads living it up.

The clock tower chimed again. Past midnight. We had to go. Crow walked us out to the edge of the square, like a gentleman.

I pulled Aki aside. Crow got distracted by a rock in his boot. “Are you playing with Crow?”

“Playing?”

“He’s a human, Aki, and my friend too. I just don’t want to see him hurt.”

Aki’s gaze lowered. “I… I’m not sure. I think I like him, and he’s fun.”

I gave her a look.

“It’s not like that. I’m more worried about what he’ll think of me once he knows I’m not… That I’m a tree.”

“You’re a tree?” Crow had rejoined us. His gray eyes were alight.

Aki took a deep breath. Her eyes darted around. No one was watching.

“Aki, no!”

Too late. She’d already materialized a black rose in her palm. “I’m a dryad.”

Crow was quiet for a moment. I remembered my friend as so compassionate. He loved caring for his birds, and showing them to children. He’d wanted to be the kingdom’s bird master for as long as I could remember. Always trying to get the littler kids to not be so afraid of birds.

He pulled out the little wooden figure he’d won that night. It was carved to resemble a bird. Everyone knew Crow was the bird master. The booth attendee must have given him this specific prize deliberately. “Trade?” Crow offered Aki a small smile.

Aki’s green cheeks flushed deeper green. “Of course!” She tucked the rose into the button hole of Crow’s jacket. “It’ll protect you.”

“Okay, I think that’s my que to give you two some privacy,” I slunk off half a block down, away from the edge of the plaza. I could still see them, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

The night was cold, but not cold enough to snow. My breath steamed in the cold air. I used to pretend I was a dragon as a kid. I missed those days, and looking forward to my birthday.

It was in barely two weeks. Nineteen. Two more years and counting.

I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t even realize the royal ensemble walking past until they were on top of me. Royal guards, maids and manservants, all decked out in the royal colors of gold and purple. They seemed to glitter in the night, their masks painted on like it was light itself. Queen Haruna was dazzling in a mask of pink, and a gown of silver. Shimmering rhinestones decorated the pink of her painted mask, highlighting her soft face, but also the severity of her brown eyes. Her husband, dressed in gold, wore a mask painted out of smoke and shadows. His dark blue eyes served as epicenters for a black hole that drew a viewer in and held their gaze with a ferocity that commanded you and made you understand; he was in charge.

I realized I had yet to bow, and did so in time. Couldn’t allow the king and queen of our kingdom to pass without a bow of respect.

It hit me all at once. If the king and queen were here, so was their son…

Yusei was dressed in deep, midnight blues. They fell off him in waves, like the edge of the ocean itself had decided to cling to his shoulders. But the mask was all wrong. Turquoises and whites that hid his sharp features rather than highlighted them. No one could find his eyes with all that mess. Like he was supposed to be hiding behind his parents…

“Oh, Yusei…” I murmured. It’d been some time since I’d last seen him. This time of year must be especially busy for a royal.

Despite the muck of his mask, his eyes found mine. Had he heard me? ‘Lise’ he seemed to mouth. I froze. Was I supposed to say or do something?

But then he was continuing on with his family and the rest of the procession. The night felt colder in their wake.

I’d probably just imagined it. Why would Yusei say my name even if we were friends? In front of the kingdom? Even if it was night and no one else was around?

I shook my head to clear it. This was stupid. Aki and I needed to go.

As if I had summoned her, she was by my side. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. It had been a long night. In a good way. “Let’s go home.”

“This was so fun. Can we come again next year?”

“Sure. Unless you spent the rest of your private time with Crow making out?”

“No,” she waved her hand away. “I figured I’d try your slow and steady approach. He’s…” Aki’s cheeks flushed dark green again. “He’s sweet. I can see why he’s your friend.”

“It was nice to see them again,” I admitted. “And another mystery is added to the pile.”

Aki nodded, suddenly serious. “Right, your curse and the disappearing people and birds. Can’t be a coincidence.”

“No… No it can’t be.”


	8. Nineteen and Countdown

I was so excited to be seeing everyone from the forest tonight. It was Lise’s birthday, and I had to be there. After being the perfect son and Prince throughout New Year’s Festivities, Dad had finally signed the royal permission document. Mom had to sign to make it an official proclamation, which she did immediately.

I arrived by the lake just as the sun went down. Aki was supposed to meet me here to take me to the Grotto. It was enchanted so only people who were told about the place could see it.

“You’re late,” Aki tapped on my shoulder. She always seemed to bleed out of the trees. Must be a dryad benefit. Hey, if you were literally one with nature.

“Sorry, had to put together a few things,” I explained.

“Come on.” Aki lead the way into the thicket. I thought I had scoured every inch of this forest by now, but apparently not.

A giant, twisted redwood tree grew in the center of a thick section of trees. It was easily the biggest tree around, with bark so old and beautiful, up close it looked almost rainbow. Not only was it tall, but thick enough to house a family, no problem.

“I can’t believe I never saw this tree before,” I craned my neck trying to find the top.

Aki snorted. “Well, you couldn’t until I told you about it. Lise moved in…About three years ago now?” She knocked and the door swung open.

A woman answered the door. She had long, dreadlock hair a dark brown color, like the deepest depths of the sea. Her brown eyes were even warmer than Aki’s, and had a far off, dreamy look to them. Her skin was deep, midnight blue, speckled with gold and ocean blue. She even had fins and gills. “Can’t say I’ve met this one.”

“Oh, I was-“

“Or have I in some other time?” Her eyes got an even more far off look to them. “Everything returns to Earth eventually…”

“Uh, Martha, may we come in?” Aki nudged her a little.

“Right, yes of course. You humans are always in such a hurry,” Martha stood aside for us to enter.

“Thank you,” I followed Aki inside. “It’s also very nice to meet you. I’m-“

“Prince Yusei, yes I know.” Martha smiled cryptically at me. “I’m…well, I suppose I’m Lise’s roommate. I’m a naiad.”

“Oh…” I said, not sure what else to say.

“Let’s go join the other party guests upstairs, shall we?” Aki gestured to the stairs and pulled my winter coat off me to hang on the nearby coat rack.

“Sure, sure, uh who else is here?” I noticed there were several coats including my own.

“Me, Martha, Jack, Crow, Leo, and Luna!” Aki grinned. “Hey, everybody, look who made it!”

“Yusei!” Lise grinned and moved to intercept me.

I had to take in the interior of her place first. I had noticed downstairs that there were stairs leading up and down. Up here was where Lise lived. Downstairs must be Martha’s grotto.

Books lined the walls from floor to high ceiling. The shelves were jam packed with books at all possible angles. More books were on the bed, in the kitchen area, and had obviously been cleared off the chairs everyone was sitting on. Lise had a bed, hidden partially from view by a fabric divider, a fireplace, a few cozy chairs, and a kitchen table with mismatched wooden chairs.

“This is Yusei,” Lise tapped my hand to have me follow her in.

Leo and Luna waved, seated on the back of a chair. I didn’t know the two boys who exchanged a look. I guess they weren’t expecting me to be there and they weren’t sure how to be proper about it.

“Yusei, this is Jack,” Lise gestured to the tall, blond boy who was scowling at me.

“And this is Crow.” She gestured to the smaller, redhead boy.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Crow, the palace Bird Master,” Crow extended his hand. “I mean, more casually and not as your employee.”

I shook his hand. “Just call me Yusei. I’m here as a friend.”

Jack seemed to relax. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought I’d be expected to demonstrate my page progress!”

Crow elbowed him with a chuckle. “More like you were hoping to show off your latest theater skills now that you’ve landed that big role.”

Jack scoffed and crossed his arms to turn his back on his friend with a pout. “You’re just jealous!”

“Poor Yoric, he was so young!” Leo wailed dramatically falling off the back of the chair. He flew out from behind it to bow at the sound of our applause and laughter.

A high-pitched whistle went off. An alarm?

“Oh, the water’s ready. Anyone want hot chocolate?” Lise removed the kettle from the fire.

She poured a mug for everyone. Even tiny ones for the twins that she used an ink dropper for. Martha had extra salt in hers.

“So, enough waiting!” Aki finally couldn’t contain her excitement. “Open your birthday presents!”

“Okay, okay,” Lise sat down on the floor.

Aki thrust her hand into Lise’s lap. “Mine first!” Out of her hand burst a gorgeous sunflower. Bright yellow petal tips with orange ombre at the base of the petals. The center was almost a chocolatey brown. “It’s like the one I gave Crow!”

Was it my imagination or did Crow’s cheeks turn as red as his hair? He did have a black rose in the button hole of his jacket identical to the black roses Aki pinned her hair back with…

“It goes in your hair,” Aki explained. She gently eased the hair tie Lise used to keep most of her hair out of her face off. She used the sunflower to pin back Lise’s hair again. “And while black roses protect you, sunflowers ‘brighten’ your health.”

“My health?” Lise laughed a little.

“Humans are always getting sick.”

“She’s got a point,” Martha nodded.

Jack’s eyebrows squished together. “I’ve never been sick.”

Crow hid his mouth with his hand. Was he covering up a laugh? A smile? “I guess it’s true what they say about colds and idiots.”

Oh, he was making a joke. The magical creatures either shrugged or didn’t react. Lise and I joined Crow trying to hide our smirks.

“What?” Jack held his hands up.

“Don’t worry about it,” Crow patted his friend’s shoulder.

“I suppose it’s my turn,” Martha set a large shell into Lise’s hand.

It was gossamer pink and a light, sandy color. It caught the light of the firewood nicely in its spirals.

“Oh, it’s so pretty…” Lise ran her hand along the smooth edges.

“Look on the inside.”

Lise peered into the shell’s tiny opening. Neon blues and seafoam greens came alive, reflecting in Lise’s eyes. As if she were peacefully on top of the ocean glowing beneath her.

Martha’s smile was warm as the fire. She gave me the impression she was a tad more detached from the world than Aki and the twins, but she valued the connections she did make to others. Even if she knew she would outlive most of us. “Like the ocean itself, it has two sides to it.”

“Thank you, Martha,” Lise hugged the shell to her chest.

“We got this one together,” Crow handed Lise a poorly wrapped package. I swallowed. I hadn’t even bothered to wrap mine. It was still in my knapsack, but I didn’t have being magical as an excuse.

Lise unveiled a…really big piece of fabric?

“It’s a new blanket,” Jack grinned, putting his hands on his hips. “I picked out the colors.”

“You guys remembered I love orange!”

“Well, it was hard to forget you like red and orange when I had a knife with those colors to my throat,” Crow winked at her.

“Oh, you too?” I joked.

“You threatened them?” Aki crossed her arms, her smile turning to a scathing glare.

Lise threw up her hands. “Hey, it’s a force of habit whenever someone startles me!” Her smile suddenly dropped. Knuckles white she clutched the folds of the blanket so hard.

Luna cleared her throat. “Us next?”

“Yes, I think that would be best,” Martha said softly.

Crow pursed his lips. Jack sipped at his hot chocolate. Maybe Lise hadn’t told them everything either… Even the magical creatures appeared uncomfortable. Aki drummed her fingers on her knees. A tiny wrinkle had appeared in between Martha’s eyebrows. Leo and Luna flew over, their glows muted slightly.

“So, we weren’t sure what to do at first?” Leo said. “The size difference made the last few years harder.”

“Yes,” Lise’s smile came back. “I remember the tiny mugs. You’re drinking hot cocoa from them right now.”

“Right,” Luna pointed. “Those turned out to be gifts for us more than you…”

Leo and Luna pulled out a…large circle of glass? “It’s a magical spyglass!” He handed it over to Lise.

“We found it down at the beach, beneath the lake!” Luna’s flying grew erratic, her glow color intensified.

Lise held it up to her eye. “What makes it magic?”

The spyglass was closer and easier to see in Lise’s hands. It also wasn’t moving around sporadically by excited fairies. Initially, it had looked like just a piece of glass. But the rims were coated in silver, and had a silver little handle so you could hold it to your eye. It had a slight shine in the firelight. Silver was kinda rare, but nothing about it suggested it was magical.

“It can help you see hidden magic!” Luna explained. “Whether something is enchanted, or not quite right, or lost, the spyglass helps you see it!”

“Huh,” Lise put it up to her eye. “Useful. Thanks, this is great.”

Luna clenched her little fists in victory. “I’m so glad you like it!”

Leo flew after his sister to reclaim their seats. He was smirking so broadly, clearly pleased he and his sister had done well this year.

“Okay…” I fumbled with my satchel. My face felt warm. No doubt everyone’s eyes were on me. I should never have gone last. “This is yours. Happy birthday.”

Lise took it from my hands. Her eyebrows went from squished to practically up in her hair. “Whoa…” Her fingers traced the raised details. Her eyes widened flipping through the blank pages. “A new sketchbook?”

“Yeah, I mean, since the last one got destroyed. There’s more in the back folder.”

“More?” Lise found the little pocket the book maker had included. She pulled out the folded piece of paper, and unfurled it.

Everyone leaned in.

“Is that what I think it is?” Jack gasped, pointing.

Aki frowned at him. “A paper?”

“It’s not just a paper, it’s a royal statement of continued admission to the castle!” Crow explained, just as in awe. “That’s the _official_ stamp and seal of the king!”

“Yeah, this tells the guards that you have permission to enter the castle and peruse the royal library.”

Even Martha looked excited at that. “More books?!”

“More information!” Lise’s eyes lit up. “Thank you! I’m almost scared to draw in the sketchbook. It’s too fancy.”

“Well, I mean, since the last one got destroyed.”

Crow nodded, pointing at me and polishing off the last of his hot chocolate. “Good point. Now you don’t have to steal from me anymore.”

“Hey, that was one time!”

“Really? One time?”

“Okay, only during the New Year’s Festival,” Lise amended jokingly.

I was glad she could joke. Her birthday, cursed like this, must feel more like a grave bell tolling. Another year closer to the twenty-first birthday. Hopefully this year went down as a good birthday memory.

Eventually it was time for us all to go. Dawn wasn’t approaching, but a winter frost and snow was. It had already started falling steadily. Crow and Jack left first, needing to be home safe for their duties tomorrow. Leo and Luna were too small to leave safely in snow, opting to stay curled up on a comfy cushion atop the fireplace mantle. Aki and Martha retreated to the grotto below.

“You should get going too if you wanna make it before the snow gets bad,” Lise advised. She seemed to realize what she’d said and waved her hands in front of her. “Not that I’m kicking you out! You can stay if you think that’s safer!”

I smiled. “Thanks. I don’t mean to be presumptuous. Just wanted to make sure you liked your birthday? And your gift?”

“Yeah, thanks,” she nodded. “It feels so unbalanced now. Aki, the twins, and Martha don’t have birthdays. I don’t even know if the Crimson Dragon has a birthday? I definitely need to make up for lost time with Jack and Crow… But uh, when’s your birthday?”

“July, but you don’t have to get me anything.”

“Because you’re a prince?” I couldn’t read her expression. I didn’t know if she was being biting or genuinely asking.

“No, I don’t want gifts these days. What I really want is to go out see the whole world before I have to come back to rule the kingdom.”

“Hmm,” Lise sipped at her cocoa before she responded. “I’d give anything for the freedom to travel.”

I winced, realizing my mistake. I might not be free to goof off as much as I liked, but Lise hadn’t been free for three years. “Where, if I may ask, where would you want to go?”

“Heartland seems nice. Oh, and Academy! Further too, I wanna see everything.”

“Maybe we could go together?”

She made a disbelieving sound with her throat. “Not if I’m still cursed. By day, I’d be exotic luggage, and a house guest by night.”

I stirred my cocoa. She was right. Her life was like an anchor, forever mooring her here. Or at least until she was twenty-one. “I hope our library has answers for you, especially if the Crimson Dragon’s research doesn’t find anything. Maybe I could ask royalty from neighboring kingdoms to look through their libraries?”

Lise offered me a small smile. She looked so beautiful. Her face lit by the fire’s glow, the sunflower in her blonde hair. “Thanks, but you’ve already done a lot though.”

“I don’t mind,” I blurted. Really, I didn’t. It’d given me an excuse to avoid prince duties. Between practicing archery and helping Lise out, I’d only had to do princely duties over the New Year’s Festival times.

Lise sighed. She drummed her fingers on the mug for a moment. I guess she decided to finish her hot chocolate in response.

I mentally kicked myself. _‘I don’t mind?’ Stupid!_

She grabbed her new blanket and stood. “You can use my extra cushions and blankets to stay here for safety tonight. You also stay on this side of the partition.”

I swallowed, feeling hot under my shirt’s collar. “G-Got it.”

“Good night, Yusei.”

“Oh uh…G-Good night.”


End file.
